Page 6 - Indian Aviation

Airbus India chief urges govt to include voluntary SAF spend under CSR

To promote sustainability, Airbus India chief Jurgen Westermeier on Thursday pitched for bringing corporates' spending on airlines' voluntary sustainable aviation fuel programmes under the government's CSR framework. Under the companies law, certain class of profitable entities are required to shell out at least two per cent of their annual profit towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in a financial year. The President and Managing Director for India and South Asia said that the voluntary corporate SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) programmes launched by airlines represent a direct, measurable investment in climate change mitigation. "We urge the government to recognise the funds spent by corporates on voluntary SAF contributions as a valid expenditure under their mandatory CSR obligations. "Such an inclusion would immediately unlock a substantial, new pool of capital to support SAF demand, instantly turning a compliance requirement into a powerful engine for a gre

Air India ferries 228 passengers stranded in Ulaanbaatar to Delhi

Air India ferried 228 passengers who were stranded in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar to Delhi on Wednesday morning. The passengers were stranded in the Mongolian capital after their San Francisco-Delhi flight was diverted to the Mongolian capital on Monday due to a technical issue. An official said Air India's relief flight carrying the passengers from Ulaanbaatar landed in the national capital at around 8:24 am on Wednesday. The relief flight was operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. There were 245 people, including 228 passengers and 17 crew members, in the Boeing 777 plane that was diverted to Ulaanbaatar, a source said on Monday. The relief flight AI183 had taken off for Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday afternoon. On Monday, the Tata Group-owned carrier said, "AI174 operating from San Francisco to Delhi via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar after the flight crew suspected a technical issue en route." The Boeing 777 aircraft, which operated the flight, had landed

Too much liberalisation of flying rights may hurt Indian airlines: A-I CEO

Air India chief Campbell Wilson on Wednesday said the pace of liberalisation of bilateral flying rights should not be "too much" that it undercuts the investments by Indian airlines and other aviation players. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets, and various foreign carriers, especially from the Gulf, have been raising concerns that the country is not providing more bilateral rights as they look to tap the market potential. The Tata Group-owned Air India is working on revamping and expanding its fleet to offer more services amid rising air traffic demand. According to Wilson, around 95 per cent of the traffic that Indian airlines carry is terminating or originating in India. "For some of the other carriers, upwards of 60 per cent, 70 per cent and in some cases 90 per cent of what they are uplifting from India is transiting and going somewhere else. "And to the extent that Indian carriers have invested tens of billions of dollars in wide-body aircraft

Aviation ministry to review performance of training organisations soon

The civil aviation ministry will soon convene a meeting to review the performance of flying training organisations in the country against the backdrop of most of them not faring well in recent rankings. In the first-ever ranking of Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) by aviation watchdog DGCA, none of the 35 organisations in the list managed to get top ratings of 'A+' and 'A'. Out of the 35 FTOs, 13 got 'B' and 22 received 'C' rankings. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu told PTI that he will meet with representatives of FTOs to discuss ways to improve their standards. Their rankings will be conducted every six months, the minister said, adding that monthly meetings to review the FTOs' performance are not required. FTOs provide training for pilots and other aviation professionals. Operational aspects, performance, safety standards, compliance standards, and assistance to students were considered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in evaluating the FTOs for

Air India Express to launch direct Agartala-Bagdogra flight from Oct 26

The service will coincide with the beginning of the winter flight schedule, marking a new chapter in Tripura's aviation connectivity

DGCA seeks funding, powers like global peers to strengthen oversight

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, or DGCA, wants authority to independently recruit and offer competitive salaries to attract qualified professionals

DGCA seeks Boeing response after emergency system glitch on Air India jet

The crew of the aircraft - which was flying from the northern Indian city of Amritsar to Birmingham, UK - detected deployment of the power system

FIP seeks comprehensive DGCA inspection of Boeing 787's electric systems

The president of FIP, said that the incident in which an Air India flight from Amritsar to Birmingham had its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed during its final approach should be investigated properly

Airport passenger traffic likely to hit post-Covid low in FY26: Icra

The ratings agency revised its full-year projection to 5-7 per cent year-on-year from its earlier estimate of 7-9 per cent

oneworld Alliance considers Indian airline partner as market expands

Given that many of its members currently serve India, the alliance is also considering ways to leverage their joint presence in country like with a loyalty deal or a joint lounge initiative, CEO said

Noida International Airport to open Oct 30, flights likely within 45 days

Union minister Rammohan Naidu said the Jewar airport, set to be Asia's largest, will be inaugurated on October 30 with flights likely within 45 days

Indore-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after 'fire indication'

An Indore-bound Air India flight returned to the city on Sunday shortly after take off as the pilot received a "fire indication" in the right engine of the aircraft, the airline said. The aircraft has been grounded for inspection, and passengers are being transferred to an alternative aircraft which will operate the flight to Indore shortly, Air India said. "Flight AI2913, operating from Delhi to Indore on August 31, air-returned to Delhi shortly after take off, as the cockpit crew received a fire indication for the right engine," the Tata Group-owned airline said without divulging further details. Following standard procedure, the cockpit crew elected to shut down the engine and returned to Delhi where the flight landed safely, it said. The air safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been duly informed of the incident, the airline said.

BS Infra Summit: India's airports gain capacity but bottlenecks loom

India's airports now have capacity ahead of demand, with $11 bn investment, dual-airport hubs in Delhi & Mumbai, but concerns remain on airspace, parking bays and staffing gaps

Can Indian airports join global hub league? Experts weigh in at BS Summit

Experts at the Business Standard Infra Summit said Indian airports are moving closer to global hub status, with Delhi nearing the threshold and Noida focusing on new technology

Pilot union objects to the government's call for a global code of conduct

A booming aviation market is seen as key to supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aviation goals, but India is short of experienced pilots

76% flyers say airlines prioritise publicity over passenger safety: Survey

A majority of airline passengers believe carriers prioritise publicity over safety, while 64% report rough flights in 3 years, raising serious concerns over aviation safety and regulatory oversight

Air India A320neo skids off Mumbai runway; all passengers disembark safely

Flight AI2744 from Kochi veered into unpaved area during landing amid heavy rain; aircraft returned to taxiway, prompting use of Mumbai airport's secondary runway

Alaska Airlines resumes operations after tech outage grounds all flights

Alaska Airlines has resumed operations following an undisclosed technical error affecting its entire system for approximately three hours, the company announced. The carrier experienced an IT outage that resulted in a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights" around 8 pm Pacific time Sunday. The stop was lifted at 11 pm, the Seattle-based company said in a social media post. As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal, the post said. The Federal Aviation Administration website had confirmed a ground stop for all Alaska Airlines mainline and Horizon aircraft, referring to an Alaska Airlines subsidiary. The National Transportation Board last month credited the crew of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 with the survival of passengers when a door plug panel flew off the plane shortly after takeoff on Jan 5, 2024, leaving a hole that

Remain focused: Air India CEO to employees post AI171 crash prelim report

Asks employees not to be distracted by speculation and sensational headlines, and avoid forming conclusions based on the preliminary report

Parl panel seeks answers on Air India crash, fare hike post-Pahalgam attack

A parliamentary panel questioned civil aviation leaders on the Air India crash investigation, the sudden airfare hike to Srinagar, and called for a security audit amid safety concerns